Browsing by Author "Webb, Gary R."
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Item Business Vulnerability to Earthquakes and Other Disasters(Disaster Research Center, 2001) Tierney, Kathleen J.; Webb, Gary R.Item Businesses and Disasters: Empirical Patterns and Unanswered Questions(Disaster Research Center, 1999) Webb, Gary R.; Tierney, Kathleen J.; Dahlhamer, James M.Through five systematic, large-scale mail surveys conducted since 1993, the Disaster Research Center (DRC) has obtained data on hazard awareness, preparedness, disaster impacts, and short- and long-term recovery among 5,000 private-sector firms in communities across the United States (Memphis/Shelby County, Tennessee, Des Moines, Iowa, Los Angeles, California, Santa Cruz County, California, and South Dade County, Florida). This paper summarizes findings from those studies in three major areas: factors influencing business disaster preparedness; disaster-related sources of business disruption and financial loss; and factors that affect the ability of businesses to recover following major disaster events. Implications of the research for business contingency planning and business disaster management are discussed.Item Coping With Y2K: Organizational Adaptation And Change At The U.S. Department Of Transportation(2000) Tierney, Kathleen J.; Harrald, John R.; Webb, Gary R.Item An Examination of Gender Roles in Crowds(Disaster Research Center, 1995) Webb, Gary R.; Neal, David M.; Phillips, Brenda D.Item Individual and Organizational Response to Natural Disasters and Other Crisis Events: The Continuing Value of the DRC Typology(Disaster Research Center, 1999) Webb, Gary R.Item Managing Organizational Impressions In Crisis Situations: EXXon Corporation And The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill(Disaster Research Center, 1995) Tierney, Kathleen J.; Webb, Gary R.Like individuals, organizations engage in impression management: occasionally they also must cope with stigma arising from their mistakes. We apply these ideas to public performances made by representatives of the Exxon corporation following the disastrous Exxon Valdeg oil spill, Using a grounded theory approach, we identify four types of "image salvaging" strategies Exxon representatives used in these performances: competence enhancement; information control: personalization; and redefinition of the event. Use of a dramaturgical framework helps explain how organizations achieve and maintain legitimacy in an institutional environment. the same time, institutional theory sheds light on why some performances--namely those of highly Atinstitutionalized actors like corporations--are more effective than others.Item The Popular Culture Of Disaster: What Is It And Why Is It Important?(Disaster Research Center, 1998) Webb, Gary R.Item Predicting Business Financial Losses in the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge Earthquakes: Implications for Loss Estimation Research(Disaster Research Center, 1999) Dahlhamer, James M.; Webb, Gary R.; Tierney, Kathleen J.Item Predicting Long-Term Business Recovery from Disaster: A Comparison of the Loma Prieta Earthquake and Hurricane Andrew(Disaster Research Center, 1999) Webb, Gary R.; Tierney, Kathleen J.; Dahlhamer, James M.Item Predicting Long-Term Business Recovery from Disaster: A Comparison of the Loma Prieta Earthquake and Hurricane Andrew(Disaster Research Center, 2003-02) Webb, Gary R.; Tierney, Kathleen J.; Dahlhamer, James M.This paper examines long-term recovery outcomes for businesses impacted by major natural disasters. Data were collected via two large-scale mail surveys–one administered to Santa Cruz County, California businesses eight years after the Loma Prieta earthquake and one administered to businesses in South Dade County, Florida, six years after Hurricane Andrew. Based on the results of OLS regression models, we argue that long-term recovery experiences of businesses are affected by various firm characteristics, including the economic sector in which a business operates, its age and financial condition, and the scope of its primary market; direct and indirect disaster impacts including physical damage, forced closure, and disruption of operations; and owner perceptions of the broader economic climate. Previous disaster experience, level of disaster preparedness, and use of external sources of aid were not found to significantly affect the long-term economic viability of businesses in the two study communities.Item Restoration Activities Following the Izmit, Turkey Earthquake of August 17, 1999(Disaster Research Center, 1999) Webb, Gary R.Item Role Improvising Under Conditions Of Uncertainty: A Classification of Types(Disaster Research Center, 1999) Webb, Gary R.; Beverly, Michael; McMichael, Megan; Noon, James; Patterson, TabithaBased on archival data from the Disaster Research Center, this paper presents an empirically derived classification of the various ways key responders to natural disasters, technological crises, and civil disturbances improvise their role performances during the emergency response period. Five types of role improvising are identified: procedural changes, status changes, normative-order changes, equipment changes, and location/facility changes. T-test and crosstabs are used to examine the relationship between type of disaster event and type of role improvising, and intraclass correlation coefficients are used to assess the inter-rater reliability of the classification scheme. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the classification scheme for future studies of role improvising in both routine and non-routine social settings and for the practice of emergency management.